Ricky, Arrrh yes, in those good old days Sir ... when all we had to eat was the hot gravel, which we picked out of our bleeding elbows and knees.

Sadly, being wrapped in cotton wool nowadays is thanks to the patronizing Nanny State, which is full of people with MBAs, who care more about out personal safety and their OH&S protocols ticking boxes than we chronically irresponsibles even care about. It is a wonder that we are even allowed to ride bikes nowadays. I certainly miss the surface to surface and surface to air capability that a good forked branch afforded. When we soaked an inner tube in detergent and glycerin for our gats' ... the recoil would jar wrists and put a 1/2" ball bearing through a metal garbage bin.

I perfected riding hands-free so I could fire the gat' ... at speed.

Warren.

Last edited by WarrenH on Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

i def like those review of that y trailer looked good. even some websites don't actually show there product up close and how it is connected so good to see how went in depth a lot more than a lot of videos out there

i agree yes kids covered in cotton wool these days and the amount of Oh and S stuff is crazy. in some ways makes things better but it other ways there so much red tape these days you want change a light bulb at work place they make you do a Oh and s safety course before you're allowed too

hey who else has used the y trailer and is there something else similar out there or do i have modify to put in cage so don't have worry about stuff sliding off the trailer. also i wonder if anyone has had that plastic trailer attachment break on them i know up here anything plastic in this heat tends to break down after a while

Warren your comments on "Gats" bring back memories. Think we called them gings.Then of course there were fireworks round 5th Nov and that brought out the penny bomb guns. Just imagine that in this day and age. Sorry to be off topic but just had to comment.John

Your right Warren kids are rapped in wool these days and speaking of gats I still have my mortar cannon tucked away in the shed that used any form of propellent injected into the ass end with a orange pushed down the barrel ready to launch 600m.

Ah John cracker night or days leading up great memories.

I still recall looking at my mums face in shock when we sat around the dinner table years later telling her the things we got up too and she had no clue. Dad on the other had sat there in silence not looking at mum because he knew what we were up too because most of the time we mimicked his antics when he was growing up as he told us when we were kids what he got up too. Then after telling us his stories at the end he would always say don't tell your mother I told you that bla bla bla followed buy don't let me catch you doing it............. yeah right as if that threat is going to shake this gravel rash kid.

Bardynt that top on the Y-frame is so rough nothing will slide on it when tied down it's that grippy but it wouldn't take much to make your own frame. Aidan brought a large plastic container from I guess Bunning or the likes which I know they have a great choice which fit the trailer. The trailer also comes with 4 rubber blocks which if screwed to any box drops in those holes on the timber deck and when tied down it's not going any where.

Reading through these recent posts it wouldn't be difficult to assume that trailer users are mostly sentimental (and grumpy) old farts.

WarrenH wrote:I certainly miss the surface to surface and surface to air capability that a good forked branch afforded.

Wazza, that sounds just like my old-fashioned magpie deterrer. I've occasionally considered getting one of these new-fangled hi-tech bb projectors, but they are highly illegal these days...there is a certain avian though that has needed a bit of deterring.

}SkOrPn--7 wrote: Aidan brought a large plastic container from I guess Bunning or the likes which I know they have a great choice which fit the trailer. Ricky

Sorry but tired eyes and couldnt sus the white balance.I wanted something to safely carry my camera cases (2) without exposing them to the weather.Hopefully this 130 litre lidded box is the ticket.I plan to strap my Macpac Cascade backpack to the top at this stage.Not looking forward to any serious headwinds.CheersAidan

Last edited by rifraf on Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

rifraf wrote:UPDATE:I suggested the extrawheel trailer wasn't compatible with a bike with a Sram Dualdrive.I may have been slightly hasty - http://www.extrawheel.com/en/3/instructions_voyager/The forth video clip down shows the nuts mounted on what appears to be either a rack stay or mudguard stay.

I bit the bullet today and finally fitted my new Sram Dualdrive rear wheel that I got made by wheelbuilder.com in California.I was actually correct in the first place.The clickbox that sits on the axle eliminates the ability to use the Bobs Nutz or the Extrawheel nuts.My mudguard stays are too close to the clickbox to use the above idea of utilising the mudguard stay mounts to attach said nuts.I'm hoping these pics shows what I'm waffling about.CheersAidan

When we had our trikes made we got two pieces welded on above dropout with threaded holes. The idea was to fit the Bob Nuts there. Unfortunately the pieces were not made quite tall enough, or back far enough, so we never used them. I think they would work but there would have been a chance of the trailer yoke damaging the click box. Also the bolt on the drive side would have been perilously close to the sprocket.If you look at the photos I posted on page 4 of this thread you can see in image 3 the welded bracket on the non clickbox/drive side.I wonder if it would be possible to fabricate some clamp on brackets to facilitate the use of the Bob trailer?

John Lewis wrote:When we had our trikes made we got two pieces welded on above dropout with threaded holes. The idea was to fit the Bob Nuts there. Unfortunately the pieces were not made quite tall enough, or back far enough, so we never used them. I think they would work but there would have been a chance of the trailer yoke damaging the click box. Also the bolt on the drive side would have been perilously close to the sprocket.If you look at the photos I posted on page 4 of this thread you can see in image 3 the welded bracket on the non clickbox/drive side.I wonder if it would be possible to fabricate some clamp on brackets to facilitate the use of the Bob trailer?

John

Hi John,not having any decent welding skills I didnt look in that direction but I'm sure your right and it wasnt an impossible quest.I'm hoping that the Carry Freedom Y-frame will actually be kinder to my frame which has very thin tubing.What my new trailer lacks in off road ability it makes up for in payload (90kg).I'm also pleased it shares the same size tyres as my bike meaning that I dont have to carry different size tyres or tubes.Whist I was initially wary of my hub upgrade (which needed the clickbox) from the earlier Sachs 3x7 to its evolution the Sram Dualdrive, I have to admit its much superior in its gear changes.It'll happily change under load unlike the Sachs which really needed you to pedal backwards for its smoothest changes.CheersAidan

Aushiker wrote:That looks pretty good Aidan. I wish you will well with tailwinds which ever direction you travel

Andrew

Thanks AndrewI'll be heading West.Sold my car yesterday and still filtering (and moaning and gnashing my teeth) my everdecreasing possessions down to something approaching carry-able.I may yet chicken out and put a couple of my suitcases into storage if I can find someat a reasonable price.I'm finding it hard to find a balance between an extended trip and the price of replacing items if I get rid of them entirely compared to storage. The cost of a return air fare from WA to NSW to pick anything up also has to be taken intoaccount.I wasnt sure about putting my new untested rear wheel into my bike for this trip, with it being a bit of anunknown, but the idea of having to add to my payload a rear wheel in addition to everything else was suchthat I made the decision to do my testing en-route.I've a spare new hub for parts, should I run into difficulties. Todays test run didnt show up any problems or issues.I'm aiming to ride every day in my lead up to departure which will hopefully show up any defects or problems with my fit.

Will you have any form of tracking Aiden?With Gene I have him on Google Latitude and so we can keep some track of him when there is phone connection. Some outback places we'd lose him for a few days. He just updates once or twice a day I think via his iPad or Phone. Just looked and he was at Wingan River on the Princes HWY in Vic an Hour ago.

Not as good as Spot Tracker but if you have Latitude on your phone then you can share your location as you want. Peace of mind?

Keep us posted . Look forward to catching up when you get over this side. It will be pretty hot this time of year n the Nullabor. Not much shade so a light poly tarp might be handy if you need shade in the middle of the day.

The trailer I'm sure will do what you need. Possibly better in some ways to a Bob in this sort of touring situation.

The steed and trailer looking great Aidan along with your new hub and RD. What rims are you using there they look like deep "V" rims and I know you had them built but what brand of rim did you choose?

Ricky

PS Aidan I don't know your route when your coming through SA but if you need a roof over your head and some wholesome tucker along with a bed to toss your head on if I'm not away on business your welcome to stay. Even if your out of the way I can still throw your gear in the van and pick you up then take you back so you can continue from where you left off. If you know your scheduled maybe I can shuffle things around to ensure I will be in town but I can't promise anything.

Last edited by }SkOrPn--7 on Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hi John,no tracking I'm afraid.I'm fairly technically illiterate.My phone is at least 11 years old and although a decent model when I got it (secondhand)it doesn't have more than a few basic features.The Nolia 5510 just keeps going so I've never replaced it.It has a fm radio and the ability to put music from a computer on it.I bought it because it had a full Querty keyboard, so its a phone I can actually usethe texting function on.The few times I've been in a shop considering a new phone, some sales personwaffles jargon in my ear expecting me to know what they're on about.I doubt I'd know how to turn a new model phone on, let alone use one.I'm bound to be posting here, hopelessly lost, asking directions on a regular basis.My modem is a prepay cordless job that works where there is cell phone coverage.I have indeed grabbed a couple of tarps from a shop called Go-Low.I wanted "footprints"(?) for both my tent and bivvy bag.CheersAidan

Last edited by rifraf on Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

}SkOrPn--7 wrote:The steed and trailer looking great Aidan along with your new hub and RD. What rims are you using there they look like deep "V" rims and I know you had them built but what brand of rim did you choose?

Ricky

PS Aidan I don't know your route when your coming through SA but if you need a roof over your head and some wholesome tucker along with a bed to toss your head on if I'm not on away on business your welcome to stay. Even if your out of the way I can still throw your gear in the van and pick you up then take you back so you can continue from where you left off. If you know your scheduled maybe I can shuffle things around to ensure I will be in town but I can't promise anything.

Thanks for the kind offer - what ever works out, even if I dont take advantage of your great offer, I'll fit in at least a meet up and either a beer or coffee.Love to see your recumbent in the flesh.I'll keep you informed of my leave date and will give updates on here as to how I'm getting on.Not in a huge rush to leave in these hot temps but now my cars gone I know it wont be long as I slowly weed outthe things I perceive I cant live without.Its amazing how much I've accumulated in the year I've been back.I plan to go slow and take it very easy initially with a few 50km days to brake myself in.I've a rough idea of the initial trip planned between here and Mildura but have yet to finalise.Trying to get some riding in, I've been coming home too pooped to look at google maps although I must do it.CheersAidan

Ok thanks Aidan I thought they were Aero rims you just confirmed it for me. Ok keep us posted and make sure you do at least 2 weeks of riding or training plus some riding with all your gear because if you don't your going to be in a world of pain.

Hi GJ,I started with a Bob but my rear hub upgrade meant my bike gained a clickbox on the R/H/S of the axle as per the above pic.This made it impossible to utilise the Bob Nutz that the trailer attached to.To be honest with my thin tubed dual suspension frame I was very wary of loaded it to anywhere near capacity anyway so I'm hopefulThe Carry Freedom Y-frame will be easier on my bike.

I suspect the connection bracket is aluminum that is attached to the L/H/S of the axle.The actual tow connection which fits over the pin is a type of flexible plastic which seems to have some decent flex and giveand so some shock absorbing qualities (me thinks).

I'm yet to do any loaded hill work with the trailer but yes I imagine steep downward stretches have the ability to get the heart racing anda rapid rise in blood pressure.I've grabbed some spare brake pads to bring on my journey.Yes a common theme here is advice on having some weight on the front to aid handling.I've listened and invested in some Ortlieb gear to add some load to the bike, especially the front.My choices of box was limited in my current locale and the alternative was black.Not wanting to inadvertently cook my camera and its associated paraphernalia I decided to go white/transparent.I'd put my money on you being right about it going brittle, but as its just for this initial relocation trip, I'll be happy if itsurvives the journey.Thanks for your interest and I will do a thread here about my journey with some updates.CheersAidan

Yeah, I wasn't trying to be critical, after all I'd be shot down in a trice for my setup, but you sound as if you are aware of possible issues.

Best to be prepared, there is often not a whole lot of help out here once you leave the big cities.

For instance I have been waiting since before Christmas to get a replacement rear hub, an SLX, from the local bike shop. They don't seem to think it is an inordinate long time, so I guess I shouldn't either.

GJ_Coop wrote:Yeah, I wasn't trying to be critical, after all I'd be shot down in a trice for my setup, but you sound as if you are aware of possible issues.

Best to be prepared, there is often not a whole lot of help out here once you leave the big cities.

For instance I have been waiting since before Christmas to get a replacement rear hub, an SLX, from the local bike shop. They don't seem to think it is an inordinate long time, so I guess I shouldn't either.

GJ_Coop wrote:I have been waiting since before Christmas to get a replacement rear hub, an SLX, from the local bike shop. They don't seem to think it is an inordinate long time, so I guess I shouldn't either.

Wasn't that a new wheel when you set out Coops? No doubt it's had a rugged life, but it didn't last long...

Yes, so it was. Been over the Munda Biddi last Christmas, and the 7600km getting from Perth to Alice.

Had I understood it was going to take a month I would certainly have had a crack myself, gee, swapping over a hub ain't too tricky. At the time I thought I might just change any cones and ball bearings but there were certain issues with that I discussed in my last blog:

It might simply have been a case of replacing pitted cones, ball bearings no longer in a ball shape, etc, it appears the smaller 3/16th ball bearings of the XT required a higher level of maintenance than I subjected them to, ie, none. The rubber seals, dirt roads and lack of grease combined for the obvious result, ie, despair, but on the other hand it had the decency to decombust in a major, OK, minor town, ie, one with a bike shop specialising in mountain bikes. I attempted a look at the internals, 2 Ã— 5mm Allen keys got me part way but the unique cones need both 15 and 17?mm cone spanners to delve deeper. One of the deciding issues: out here obscure replacement parts are in the same vicinity of cost as a complete new hub.

Maybe it's simpler than I thought with the XT but just trying to work out that I needed a 17mm cone spanner and the logistics of getting that was in the too hard basket when working 6 days a week. I'm getting pretty good at excuses, the LBS has had some good ones: warehouse closed, rep's mother is in hospital, when I went round last week I had one for them, grandmother's cats ill, but they had their own, in transit.

Fortunately I met someone in town who immediately offered the use of a spare rear wheel so I haven't been totally bikeless.

Will be great to be reunited with my rear wheel, I might have a spare rear hub up my sleeve from now on but the real thing is to pack some grease as they say and learn to fiddle about with those cones. Better that this doesn't happen again out in the boondocks.

[quote="GJ_Coop']I'm getting pretty good at excuses, the LBS has had some good ones: warehouse closed, rep's mother is in hospital, when I went round last week I had one for them, grandmother's cats ill, but they had their own, in transit[/quote]Only a month? In Alice Springs? They are probably thinking you are one those city folk who are always in such a rush. Have another beer or two...

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